Project 4 : Kaleidoscopes

Kaleidoscopes are fun to look through. They fragment what we see, multiply the fragments, and put them together again in amazingly complex variations.

Above : Original Photo

Geometrically Lucid

    Lucid means bright or luminous. When editing this image I increased the vibrance and saturation by 100%. I slightly took down the exposure, increased the recovery light all the way and decreased the blacks. The colors that showed up in this photograph when I increased the vibrance and saturation contrast and compliment each other. It reminds me of a something under a black light. I like the jagged edges in the rock and the contrast in the original image between the wet and dry rock made for a really cool effect in this kaleidoscope. If you look at the middle/top of this kaleidoscope the rock appears to have a dragon-like face or a face that resembles a Praying Mantis. 

Above : Original Photo

Oregon Flora

    Flora is a latin word meaning the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period. When taking this image I had in mind that on the color wheel purple and yellow contrast and compliment each other. When editing this image I increased the blues and the purples and slightly decreased the yellows because I didn't want the yellow to clash with the green. I tried several different combinations when creating this kaleidoscope and this one was the one that I found worked best.

Above : Original Photo

Lost at Sea

      This kaleidoscope is one of my favorites. I like the contrast in scale between the bird and the rock and  I love the way the wave looks while splashing up against the side it. When editing this image I made the hue in the oranges a darker red-orange, the aqua a deeper blue, and the blues more aqua. I took down the saturation in the reds and I increased the saturation of the orange and yellow. The reason why I edited the color in this image is because I wanted to show some contrast in color.

Above : Original Photo

Chief Crazy Horse

     This image came from a vintage slide that I bought at the beach. When editing this image I used the brush tool to bring attention to the details in the image. I increased the clarity of the image and I used the split tone technique. The two colors I chose when using the split tone was orange and blue, although those two colors don't seem to really show up I think they gave the image a vintage sepia effect.

Above : Original Photo

Two Tone Flora

    Like in the kaleidoscope before this, I used the split tone technique. I first made it black and white, then I put the split tone effect on it. For this image, the two colors I chose were purple and blue, I chose these two in particular because they were both cool colors and I liked the way the highlights turned out in the kaleidoscope. 

Above : Original Photo

Fauna

    With this image I also used split toning and the colors I chose were pink and green. In the original image I loved the way the two zebra's were standing next to each other and both looking at me. Their strips are almost mesmerizing to me as I was most likely to them. This was the second watering hole in Africa I had seen and the amount of animals there was crazy. I love how the image is mirrored in this kaleidoscope as well and it took a lot of trial and error with cropping to make it look just right. I also like how the zebra in the center creates an 'X' shape in this kaleidoscope and he also appears as if he/she has two heads!! 

Project 4 : Diptychs and Triptychs

Modern Day Captain

    In this diptych I compared real to fake. Over the 4-day weekend I went for a walk in down-town Cannon Beach and on my way back I was passing a statue and to my surprise this old man who coincidentally looked almost exactly like the statue. The wrinkles in their face, the hat, the coat, and the body position is all similar to each other. I quickly took a few shots of him seeing that I knew this would make a great diptych. When editing this image I made the old man skinnier in appearance to match the statue more. I used the brush tool to blur the backgrounds in both images. I tried to match the blue in their coats as much as possible and I used the brush tool to take down the exposure in the color of the old mans originally grey pants. to make them black like the wood carving. I changed the color in the face and beard of the statue to make him more resemble the old man. 

Life After Death

    In this image I am using the comparison of life to death. When editing the photograph of the dead bird I tried to create a contrast in value by making it black and white and then increasing the light and dark areas of the image. To me, life is full of color and death is dark, so when putting the two images together I left one in color and the other in black and white.

Christmas Tree

     In this triptych I took a photo of a tree that had been naturally uprooted most likely by a storm and landed on the beach, it reminded me of a christmas tree. The second image in this triptych is a photo of my Christmas tree. The third image is of a fern in water with it's seedlings still intact and they reminded me of Christmas ornaments, the shape of it and the color of green versus red reminds me of Christmas as well.

Prohibited

     All three of these images were taken at the beach. Yes, it is prohibited to shoot fireworks on the beach but almost every time my family goes down to our beach house we light fireworks as a tradition. My dad is a pyromaniac and I dedicate this triptych to him :)

Project 4 : Balance and Contrast

Original - Contrast in Scale

Edited Version - Contrast in Scale

  When I was in Cannon Beach over the 4-day weekend I went into an antique shop. I went to look at the vintage photographs they had for sale and in the pile I found a set of 4 slides from North Dakota. To take this image I had to hold up the slide to the light in order to see the image within the slide. This slide in particular is my absolute favorite, Chief Crazy Horse folding his arms and standing in front of Mount Rushmore is really powerful to me; considering the carved faces represent American History which wouldn't have happened if we hadn't kicked the natives off of their land. Mount Rushmore in comparison to a human is in my opinion contrast in scale considering Mount Rushmore is 59 feet tall. When editing this image I used to brush tool to bring attention to the details in the image. I whitened the background of the whole image, increased the clarity of the image in the slide and changed the color to show the difference in the lighting in the slide image as well.

Original - Contrast in Texture

Edited Version - Contrast in Texture

  I took this image when we went on our field trip to the PSU campus, I stood on a bench and took this photo from up above. With some of the cigarette's out of the water, some in, some half in half out, show's a contrast in texture. When editing this image I darkened the color of the concrete to draw my viewer's focus to the cigarette's in the water. I increased the saturation of the red and oranges. I brought down the light area's in the photo so you would be able to vaguely see some of the cigarettes under the water.

Strong Contrast in Value #1

Strong Contrast in Value #2

  Value refers to the amount of contrast between dark and light. The strongest contrast you can create in any image is by making it black and white. In photography, strong contraswt is useful for controlling the attention of your viewers to a desired subject. In my first constrast in value image I decided to try and focus on the texture in the fur of the little bunny. The darker tone of the back of his ears to the lightness of the inside, and the light areas around his eye, paws, and chest. In my second conrast in value image I increased the highlights and light areas of the image, the contrast, and the shadows of the image. I particularly love that you can see the veins in the ears of the rabbit and you can clearly see the light reflecting off of his whiskers. I find that the second image is a better example of contrast in value because the rabbit itself is white and there is a black rock behind him/her.

Symmetrical Balance

Project 4 : Balance and Contrast

Symmetrically Balanced

Photo by: Andres Medina - @andresmedina on Instagram

Location: Green Wood Tree Farm in Oregon

Strong Contrast in Scale

Photo by: Peter Holme

Radial Balance

Photo by: Igor Siwanowicz

Strong Contrast in Texture

Photo by: Michel Rajkovic

Strong Contrast in Texture #2

Photo by: Kelsey Goodwin

Strong Constrast in Color Value

Photo by: Andrea Hubner

Project 3 : Color grids and Mood Photo(s)

    For this assignment we were asked to combine images to create grids. The grids we were asked to create were a: Monochrome grid, color compliment grid, color harmony grid, and a grid of our choice. In addition to this, we were asked to have one photo that conveyed mood through color.

Monochrome Grid

      When editing this photograph, I wanted to show a contrast in value. To do this, I made the photo black and white, increased the shadows, decreased the light areas, and slightly increased the darker areas. I decreased the light areas in the photograph in order to emphasize the wrinkles in the lions face as he roared at the lioness.

Color Harmony Grid

   This was originally a horizontal image of a plant. I made 4 copies and flipped each one to mirror the images. I made a second copy of the 4 images and when editing those I changed the tone and played with the color so that when I created my grid I would be able to show cool colors. 

Contrasting/Color Complement Grid

  In this image the light blue volkswagen bug and the orange leaves compliment and contrast with each other. I mirrored the image of the bug and I made the road seem longer by cropping the ground and then mirroring it as well. 

My Choice Grid/Rainbow Grid

  For this grid I first flipped the image of the train and made a grid. Then, I made 6 copies of that grid, edited each one so they would each be one of the colors of the rainbow, and then rotated every other copy was horizontally. I created my own grid template so that I could create a "sink-in" effect. By rotating every other image horizontally and then layering them in this particular grid it has a "fun-house" or whimsical effect.

Mood Photographs:

    

    I chose this photo for mood because when I look at Desmond (the baby), I just get this overwhelming feeling of hope and contentedness. The feeling of hope was not only because his mother is only 16 or so and left without a home or a promising education, but because the look in his eyes as he looks at Emanuel (the boy behind him). When photographing this image I paid close attention to lighting and the positioning of the camera. I did this by getting down on their level since they are much smaller than I am. By having my lens a little bit above Desmond's eye-level I tried to convey a sense of equality. By being close up I wanted to enhance the feeling of trust I had with these boys. I manipulated the lighting in the photo so that Desmond's face was lit up and I decreased the saturation in their clothes to try and draw my viewers attention to Desmond. I kept some of the saturation in the photo because faded and gloomy photos are for moods that are negative and this image is the opposite. 

   When you think of children in Africa you think of sad, hopeless, poverty struck. In this image the children are excited, curious, and happy. When visiting schools in Kenya I was most intrigued by this little girl from the moment I laid eyes on her. The light in her eyes and the smile on her face made me feel so hopeful and happy. To convey the mood of happiness in this image I increased the highlights and changed the tone. 

Project 3 : Color Wheel and Mood Photo

Engulfed in Blue - By: Karina Chernova

     
       Karina Chernova uses the color blue in this photograph to inflict a feeling of calmness and or serenity on the viewer. Blue is the color of the sky, ocean, sleep, and twilight. Just like the title of this image, Engulfed in Blue, Karina uses light and dark blue to create a contrast in value and by highlighting and smoothing the models skin and by placing her in the middle Karina literally engulfed(surrounded) the model in blue. By surrounding the model with this color, Karina was able to convey the mood that the color blue gives off: calm, peaceful, and serene.

Project 2 Contact Sheet

Page 1

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Project 2

Birds-eye View

Bugs-eye View

Close-up

Frame within a frame

Rule of Thirds

Leading Lines

Filling the Frame

Diagonals

Project 1 ( 30 x 2 )

Before

After

                   I chose this photo because I wanted to show case my photoshop skills. I also love blending multiple images together. The way that I edited this photo was I went into photoshop and I used the stamp tool to fix some of the imperfections on the floor like dust that didn't look like they belonged in the photo. I chose a black and white filter because when I think of doll house's they give me a creepy-spooky feeling and the black and white filter also gives me that feeling. I also chose the black and white filter so I could create some contrast in the picture. I wanted to give the room a dizzy illusion so by taking two photos of the same room from different angles and put one on top of another and then making the top layer more opaque to create that look. 

Before

After

      

      I chose this photo because I liked the way the shadows on the floor look creepy in the whole creepy dollhouse feel. They way I edited this photo was with lightroom and photoshop. I photoshopped a doll like figure into the door way because I wanted something to make the room feel a little creepier. I cropped the image and I tried to contrast the colors and increased the exposure and that helped make the frame of the door a little whiter and it also helped create the shadow and dark effect in the doorway that I wanted to get in order to put the creepy lit up face in. I took an image off of google images and made it more opaque in photoshop and then erased some of the image. I like the 3D look the door frame has and the detail on the chairs. I also like that this is just a room in a doll house and it feels more like an actual room.

Before

After

             I chose this photo because at first I loved the way the woman in red looked against the big metal doors at tiffany's. I decided to edit this by layering the many shots I took of her and create somewhat of a motion sequence of her walking.  I especially love the way her feet look after each step she took because you can see her picking up her foot to take the next step. I used a sepia filter and a board texture to make it look distressed and older. I also used a blurred effect to blur everything except the woman walking. 

Before

After

             I chose this photo because I liked the small detailing on the dollhouse clock a lot. I chose to edit it in a way to make it look like it was a drawing. I enhanced the detailing on the clock to make it more visible because in the original photograph it was over exposed. The clock in the edited photo almost looks like it was photoshopped in and looks like its coming out of the photo. The background in the edited photo looks almost like it could be fabric. 

Before

After

              I chose this photo because I thought that it's ironic that a man in a business suit would be smoking a cigarette. In the "before" photo, you see the man is looking down with a frowned face and his suit is a tad bit wrinkled. I decided layer and blend the before photo with one where he was inhaling the cigarette and I think his face in the before photo articulates the disappointment he has in himself by smoking. When layering this photo in photoshop I also decided to blend the walking sign and I overlapped the stop and go signals. I did this because when someone's trying to quit smoking it's a constant battle of whether to stop or continue smoking. I enhanced the brightness on this photo and did some contrasting. With this photo I chose not to mess around with changing it too much because I really wanted the focus to be on the message that I was trying to convey with a man in a business suit smoking. 

 

Before

After

       I took pictures of the pioneer courthouse square from many different angles but I chose this photograph in particular because I liked the symmetry in the building. I particularly love taking photos of buildings. At first the photo had a railing in it and it wasnt exactly symmetrical in the frame and by straightening out the photo and cropping it I lost some dephth that I had liked in the origonal. I layered and blended this photo with a photo of a chalk board and I chose this as a layer because I think it sybolizes all the school you have to go through in order to become a lawyer. I darkened the edges of the photo to create some depth and contrast that I had lost by cropping the original.